Spinner for fiberizing glass and method

ABSTRACT

A spinner for fiberizing glass has fiberizing holes formed in the spinner sidewall by a process utilizing an electron beam perforating process. A backing material used in the process is deposited on the walls of the fiberizing holes for increasing the corrosion resistance of the fiberizing holes. With regard to the formation of each fiberizing hole, an interaction of the backing material with an electron beam during the electron beam perforating process creates a gaseous backing material that expands through a hole created by the electron beam in the spinner sidewall to eject molten alloy material of the spinner sidewall made molten by the electron beam from the hole and deposit a thin substantially uniform coating layer of the backing material on the wall of the hole to increase the corrosion resistance of the fiberizing hole thus formed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention relates to a method of making a spinner forfiberizing glass; to the spinner made by the method; and moreparticularly, to a method of forming fiberizing holes in the spinnersidewall by a process utilizing an electron beam perforating processwherein a backing material used in the process is deposited on the wallsof the fiberizing holes to increase the corrosion resistance of thefiberizing holes and the service life of the spinner.

High temperature rotary glass fiberization processes fiberize moltenglass by using centrifugal forces to pass the molten glass through rowsof small diameter fiberizing holes in the annular peripheral sidewallsof spinners. These spinners, which typically have from several hundredfiberizing holes to tens of thousands of fiberizing holes in the spinnersidewall, are typically operated in a high temperature oxidizingenvironment (e.g. an oxidizing environment having temperatures of 1600°F. and greater) and at rotational speeds of over a thousand revolutionsper minute (e.g. rotational speeds of 1500 revolutions per minute andgreater). In this high temperature oxidizing environment and at thesehigh rotational speeds, the corrosive effects of glass on the spinneralloy forming the walls of the fiberizing holes in the spinner sidewallcauses the fiberizing holes to enlarge in diameter. This enlargement ofthe fiberizing holes eventually results in loss of fiber diameter and/orlength control whereby a portion of the fibers produced will be toolarge or too small in diameter, to long or short in length, and/or thefiber diameter distribution of the fibers produced by the spinner willno longer meet product specifications and the spinner must be taken outof service.

Currently, the fiberizing holes in spinners used for producing glassfibers in the glass fiber industry are created by electron beamperforating processes and laser perforating processes. An electron beamperforating process utilizes a backing material on the reverse side ofthe spinner sidewall being drilled that produces large volumes ofgaseous material through an interaction between the backing material andan electron beam of the electron beam perforating process. With regardto the formation of each fiberizing hole in a spinner sidewall by anelectron beam perforating process, the gaseous material created by theinteraction between the backing material and an electron beam of theprocess expands through the hole in the spinner sidewall created by theelectron beam and ejects molten material of the sidewall, created by aninteraction between the electron beam and the sidewall, from the hole toform a fiberizing hole. Often a thin layer of the backing material isdeposited on the wall of the fiberizing hole thus formed. Currentbacking materials used in electron beam perforating processes are oftenmade of copper, zinc, and other materials that adversely affect thecorrosion resistance of the fiberizing holes formed by the process.These materials can lead to the formation of low temperature eutecticsin the wall of the fiberizing hole produced by the process, which lowerthe melting point of the spinner sidewall material forming the wall ofthe fiberizing hole, and thereby adversely affect the corrosionresistance of the wall of the fiberizing hole. Thus, increasing thecorrosion resistance of the fiberizing holes produced by electron beamperforating processes to molten glass in a high temperature oxidizingenvironment where the spinners are being operated at high rotationalspeeds to prolong the service life of these spinners is very desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the method of the subject invention, a spinner for fiberizing glasshas cylindrical or substantially cylindrical shaped fiberizing holesformed in the spinner sidewall by an electron beam perforating process.A backing material used in the process is deposited on the walls of thefiberizing holes to increase the corrosion resistance of the fiberizingholes, which typically have a diameter between about 0.01 and about 0.1inches and a length between about 0.1 and about 0.5 inches.

The backing material composition is selected to be compatible with thealloy material of the spinner sidewall and to increase the corrosionresistance of fiberizing holes formed in the spinner sidewall by theelectron beam perforating process when, in service, the spinner issubjected to the corrosive effects of glass in a high temperatureoxidizing environment (e.g. an oxidizing environment having temperaturesof 1600° F. and greater) while being rotated at high rotational speeds(e.g. speeds of 1500 revolutions per minute and greater). Preferably,the backing material has a coefficient of thermal expansionsubstantially the same as that of the alloy material of the spinnersidewall. In addition, the backing material for the process is selectedto provide, for the thermal reaction produced by the interaction of anelectron beam of electron beam perforating process and the backingmaterial during the perforating process and the position of the backingmaterial relative to the spinner sidewall, at least the minimum amountof gaseous backing material required at the vapor pressure required toeject molten material of the spinner sidewall, made by an interactionbetween the electron beam and the sidewall, from a hole in the sidewallmade by the electron beam and deposit a thin coating layer of thebacking material on the wall of the fiberizing hole thus formed in thesidewall.

With regard to the formation of each fiberizing hole, the thermalreaction produced by the interaction of the backing material with anelectron beam during the electron beam perforating process creates agaseous backing material that expands through a hole created by theelectron beam in the spinner sidewall to eject molten alloy material ofthe spinner sidewall made molten by the electron beam from the hole anddeposit a thin substantially uniform coating layer of the backingmaterial on the wall of the fiberizing hole thus created to increase thecorrosion resistance of the fiberizing hole. The diameter of suchfiberizing holes is typically between about 0.01 and about 0.1 inchesand the length of such fiberizing holes is typically between about 0.1and about 0.5 inches. The coating layer of backing material can besubsequently heat treated, prior to placing the spinner in service, tocomplete the formation of or increase the corrosion resistance of thebacking material coating layer on the wall of the fiberizing hole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical transverse cross section through aspinner schematically illustrating a fiberizing hole being formed in aperipheral sidewall of the spinner with electron beam perforatingequipment in accordance with the method of the subject invention.

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged schematic, fragmentary view of a spinnersidewall showing a fiberizing hole made by the method of the subjectinvention that is coated with a substantially uniform thin metalliccoating layer of backing material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the process of the subject invention a spinner for fiberizing glasshas fiberizing holes formed in the spinner sidewall by an electron beamperforating process. In the process, a backing material used in theprocess is also deposited on the walls of the fiberizing holes forincreasing the corrosion resistance of fiberizing holes.

As schematically shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of fiberizing holes forfiberizing glass are being simultaneously formed in a spinner 20 withelectron beam perforating equipment 22 in accordance with the method ofthe subject invention. The spinner has a disc shaped base 24 and anannular peripheral sidewall 26 of a high temperature resistant alloymaterial. The annular peripheral sidewall 26 of the spinner 20 extendsupward from an outer edge portion of the disc shaped base 24 of thespinner. A spinner for fiberizing glass typically has between severalhundred fiberizing holes and tens of thousands of fiberizing holes,which typically have diameters between about 0.01 and about 0.1 inchesand lengths between about 0.1 and about 0.5 inches. In service, thespinner 20 is rotated at high rotational speeds (e.g. speeds of 1500revolutions per minute and greater) in a high temperature oxidizingenvironment (e.g. an oxidizing environment having temperatures of 1600°F. and greater) to extrude glass through the fiberizing holes andfiberize the glass. While spinners of other high temperature resistantalloys are used to fiberize glass, U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,698 B2, issuedNov. 30, 2004, which discloses a spinner made of intermetallic compoundsof aluminides of nickel (Ni₃Al and NiAl), is an example of a spinnerutilized to fiberize glass and the disclosure of the U.S. Pat. No.6,823,698 B2 patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

The electron beam perforating equipment 22 utilized in the electron beamperforating process of the subject invention can be conventionalelectron beam perforating equipment. While the electron beam perforatingequipment 22, shown in FIG. 1, utilizes only one electron beam 30,electron beam perforating equipment can be utilized that simultaneouslyemits two or more electron beams.

The backing material 28 has a composition selected to increase thecorrosion resistance of fiberizing holes 32 formed in the spinnersidewall 26 by the electron beam perforating process during the servicelife of the spinner when the spinner is subjected to the corrosiveeffects of glass in a high temperature oxidizing environment (e.g. anoxidizing environment having temperatures of 1600° F. and greater) whilebeing rotated at high rotational speeds (e.g. speeds of 1500 revolutionsper minute and greater). Preferably, the backing material 28 has acoefficient of thermal expansion the same as or substantially the sameas that of the alloy material of the spinner sidewall 26 and isotherwise compatible with the alloy material of the spinner sidewall. Inaddition, the backing material 28 for the process is selected toprovide, for the thermal reaction produced by the interaction of anelectron beam 30 of electron beam perforating process and backingmaterial 28 during the perforating process and the position of thebacking material 28 relative to the spinner sidewall 26, at least theminimum amount of gaseous backing material required at the vaporpressure required to eject molten material of the spinner sidewall 26made by the electron beam 30 from a hole in the sidewall made by theelectron beam 30 and deposit a thin coating layer 34 of the backingmaterial 28 on the wall of the fiberizing hole thus formed in thespinner sidewall.

As shown in FIG. 1, the backing material 28 is preferably locatedagainst or immediately adjacent the inner surface of the spinnersidewall 26 so that when the gaseous backing material is formed by theprocess through the vaporization of the backing material 28 by theinteraction of the backing material with an electron beam 30, thegaseous backing material is confined to an extent sufficient for thegaseous backing material to exert sufficient pressure to eject moltenmaterial from a hole formed in the spinner sidewall 26 by the electronbeam 30 and is present in sufficient amounts to form a deposit of a thinsubstantially uniform coating layer 34 of the backing material 28 on thesurface of the fiberizing hole 32 thus formed to increase the corrosionresistance of the fiberizing hole. With regard to the formation of eachfiberizing hole 32, the gaseous backing material created by theinteraction of the backing material 28 with an electron beam 30 duringthe electron beam perforating process expands through the hole createdby the electron beam 30 in the spinner sidewall 26 to eject molten alloymaterial of the spinner sidewall made molten by the electron beam 30from the hole and deposit a thin substantially uniform coating layer 34of the backing material 28 on the wall of the fiberizing hole 32 thusformed to increase its corrosion resistance.

The thin coating layer 34 of backing material 28 deposited on the wallof the fiberizing hole 32 can be subsequently heat treated prior toplacing the spinner 20 in service to increase adhesion between the thincoating layer 34 of backing material 28 and the wall of the fiberizinghole 32. The thin coating layer 34 of backing material 28 deposited onthe wall of the fiberizing hole 32 can be subsequently heat treatedprior to placing the spinner 20 in service to transform the backingmaterial 28 of the thin coating layer 34 into a material with enhancedcorrosion resistance when compared to the backing material 28 prior tothe heat treatment. The thin coating layer 34 of backing material 28deposited on the wall of the fiberizing hole 32 can be subsequently heattreated prior to placing the spinner 20 in service to both increaseadhesion between the thin coating layer 34 and the wall of thefiberizing hole 32 and transform the backing material 28 of the thincoating layer 34 into a material with enhanced corrosion resistance whencompared to the backing material 28 prior to the heat treatment.

It is contemplated that the backing material 28 for forming the thinmetallic coating layer 34 on the fiberizing holes 32 can be an alloy orsimple element and includes but is not limited to metallic materialssuch as platinum group metals and alloys thereof; and chromium, nickel,cobalt, and aluminum and alloys thereof (such as alloys containing oneor more of chromium, nickel, cobalt, and aluminum). For example, it iscontemplated that alloys could be used containing copper and zinc andone or more of chromium, nickel, cobalt and aluminum provided thesealloys produce a sufficient volume of gaseous backing material by theinteraction of the backing material with the electron beam to: a) ejectmolten alloy material (made molten by the electron beam) from aperforation formed by the electron beam in the spinner sidewall from theperforation, and b) deposit a thin substantially uniform coating layerof the backing material on the wall of the hole thus created in thesidewall to increase the corrosion resistance of the hole).

In describing the invention, certain embodiments have been used toillustrate the invention and the practices thereof. However, theinvention is not limited to these specific embodiments as otherembodiments and modifications within the spirit of the invention willreadily occur to those skilled in the art on reading this specification.Thus, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed, but is to be limited only by the claims appendedhereto.

1. A method of forming fiberizing holes for fiberizing glass in anannular peripheral sidewall of a spinner wherein the sidewall extendsupward from an outer edge portion of a disc shaped base of the spinnerand wherein, in service, the spinner is rotated at high rotationalspeeds in a high temperature environment to extrude glass through thefiberizing holes and fiberize the glass, comprising: providing a spinnerwith a disc shaped base and an annular peripheral sidewall of an alloymaterial; providing a backing material for use as a backing layer for anelectron beam perforating process and for increasing the corrosionresistance of fiberizing holes to be formed in the spinner sidewall byan electron beam perforating process by being deposited on walls of thefiberizing holes formed by the process; the backing material having acoefficient of thermal expansion substantially the same as that of thealloy material of the spinner sidewall; and forming a plurality offiberizing holes in the spinner sidewall by means of an electron beamperforating process that utilizes the backing material on a side of thespinner sidewall opposite that from which electron beams are directedonto the spinner sidewall wherein, for each of the plurality offiberizing holes: an interaction of the backing material with theelectron beam during the electron beam perforating process creates agaseous backing material, and the backing material is positionedrelative to the spinner sidewall so that a sufficient volume of gaseousbacking material produced by the interaction of the backing materialwith the electron beam expands through a hole created by the electronbeam in the spinner sidewall to eject molten alloy material of thespinner sidewall made molten by the electron beam from the hole anddeposit a thin substantially uniform coating layer of the backingmaterial on a substantially cylindrical shaped wall of the hole.
 2. Themethod of forming fiberizing holes for fiberizing glass in an annularperipheral sidewall of a spinner according to claim 1, wherein: the thincoating layer of backing material deposited on the wall of the hole issubsequently heat treated, prior to placing the spinner in service, toincrease adhesion between the thin coating layer of backing material andthe wall of the hole.
 3. The method of forming fiberizing holes forfiberizing glass in an annular peripheral sidewall of a spinneraccording to claim 2, wherein: the heat treatment transforms the backingmaterial of the thin coating layer deposited on the wall of the holeinto a material with enhanced corrosion resistance when compared to thebacking material prior to the heat treatment.
 4. The method of formingfiberizing holes for fiberizing glass in an annular peripheral sidewallof a spinner according to claim 1, wherein: the thin coating layer ofbacking material deposited on the wall of the hole is subsequently heattreated, prior to placing the spinner in service, to transform thebacking material of the thin coating layer deposited on the wall of thehole into a material with enhanced corrosion resistance when compared tothe backing material prior to the heat treatment.
 5. The method offorming fiberizing holes for fiberizing glass in an annular peripheralsidewall of a spinner according to claim 1, wherein: the backingmaterial is selected from a group consisting of platinum group metalsand alloys thereof; and chromium, nickel, cobalt, and/or aluminum andalloys thereof.